To set the scene there were 12 adults, 8 children under 4, 100 roast potatoes, 6 kg of lamb, a giant bunny, an easter egg hunt, a pinata and way too much chocolate. Sorry did I mention the alcohol and the clingy 2 year old that wouldn’t leave my side?! Yep, I’m a Mitchell and we LOVE a party.

Ol and I have got cooking a Sunday roast down to a fine art, we know our roles, and we no longer stir each others pots or season each others meat, therefore it’s all sickeningly harmonious and cheery. We have however never attempted it on this scale, and do you know what, it was a breeze, everyone was well fed and watered, children entertained and suitably full of sugar.

But I did my usual thing of not realising that it wasn’t going to be possible to make a stonking record of the day as I’d be hosting and mosting. I always do this, I think that I can cook, get drinks, sling children around, all whilst making insightful and atmospheric photographs. And no, I’m getting better at putting the camera down and not putting myself in a comprising position but I guess the point is that creating emotive memories through photography takes dedication. You can’t possibly be a guest or a host and take a comprehensive set of images. You engage with a social situation completely differently as a photographer, you observe, you notice things that the untrained eye leaves undisturbed. It’s all about seeing a moment and then capturing it in a way that does it justice. You need to not just see those precious moments but to anticipate them so that you can position yourself with an interesting perspective. So when you aren’t able to have that level of focus because you’re socialising it’s very frustrating as the story of the event is left incomplete, and therefore disappoints.

So as I am an all or nothing type of person I tend to leave my camera at home when I go to a party or on a day out with the munchkins. This is a huge shame but if I’m behind the lens then I’m simply not engaging with my family and friends, and I’m not taking photographs that I’m happy with.

So that’s it folks, that’s the compromise. My route around it is to take pics on my phone when I’m socialising, just like any other person does. Being a Bubble&Bean photographer requires ultimate focus, to create beautiful images, which tell the story of a family and gives them atmosphere and heart.